Last school year, I wrapped up my 13th year as a teacher, but year 14, I returned as a school administrator. There are two types of administrators, those who were great teachers and those who were not. We all know of those administrators whose charisma, nepotism, or friendship got them a leadership role. What about…
The news has been quite sensational lately. As teachers, oftentimes, our first instinct is to hide the news under the guise of “protecting them” from the real world. We may strategically avoid or even straight up ignore current events, but this isn’t the right approach. It doesn’t work. Students are more connected to the world…
Social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum is being incorporated into schools across the United States, but it is not mandated. Maybe, it should be. In Denmark, empathy classes are part of the national curriculum. According to Bright Vibes: Denmark has consistently ranked in the top three happiest countries in the world in the UN’s World Happiness report…
Teacher pay has been at the forefront of the conversation lately. Teacher unions and lawmakers have been sparring back and forth all over the country about just how much compensation teachers deserve. Most people have seen this play out on the news and at their statehouses. What a lot of people do not know is…
Until the 2015-16 school year, I never carried my cell phone with me as an educator. What changed was the role I accepted that school year. It was my first year as a literacy coach. One day principal stopped me and asked, “Barnes, did you receive my message?” I responded, “What message?” My principal had…
Last week, we shared Indy K12’s Top Ten most viewed pieces of 2019. As this decade comes to a close, it is time to take a look back at our top ten pieces of this decade. Indy K12 writers are fearless. They tell the truth unashamed and shine a light on educational issues that some…
We are at the halfway point of winter break. For some reason, some children are fizzling. They are making proclamations such as, “I’m bored.” Parents are at their wit ends trying to figure out how to make it through one more week. This is not the time to give in because there is hope. Winter…
If you are a parent of a school-age student, then you have likely heard them complain about all of the time they have to spend in school. Like most parents, you probably brushed this off as nothing more than adolescent bellyaching. But guess what? They’re right. In many places, the school day is too long….
As 2019 comes to close, it is important to look back at the stories that garnered the most attention from our readers. So far during 2019, our writers collectively wrote 266 pieces. Whether the pieces were written in 2019 or years ago, there are certain topics that caused our readers to cheer or respond with…
It’s no secret the cost of childcare is expensive and still rising. The average annual cost of childcare in America ranges from $4,000 to $22,600 depending on location and age according to the Economic Policy Institute. This makes the cost too expensive for many families to afford. Relief for those families comes in the form…